Javier Dorador

Mr Javier Dorador

Research Fellow

Organisation

Royal Holloway, University of London

Research summary

My research is focused on analysis of trace fossils, mainly in cores from marine sediments, and its application in palaeoenvironmental approaches and its influence in potential reservoir deposits. In this sense, my fellowship is focused on the ichnological study of contourite deposits.

The sea bottom is under the influence of bottom currents, eroding and transporting sediments laterally, creating large deposits called contourites. In those environmental conditions there are many deep-marine organisms which vary along the space and time, depending on conditions of oxygen, nutrients, current velocity, etc. These organisms are not commonly preserved, but they produce structures as burrows or trails that can be recognized in the fossil record. Then, the study of these structures, called trace fossils, provides us information about changes in trace-maker communities due palaeoenvironmental variations, sometimes originated by fluctuations of currents. Therefore, the study of bioturbation could be used to characterize in detail these deposits. These studies are scientifically very useful to better understand marine processes and its products, but also economically since trace fossils control the porosity and permeability of potential hydrocarbon reservoir rocks.